On September 18, Tenasia reported exclusively that CL, a former leader of the legendary K-Pop 2ne1 group, managed his very cherry personal agency without an adequate registration as a cultural content activities for almost five years.
Founded in 2020, Very cherry He was established as a label of a CL person to manage his solo career. However, according to sources in the sector, the company has not been able to officially register as planning of culture and popular arts, a legal requirement in South Korea for agencies that manage artists and entertainment management activities.
A representative from Very cherry He admitted supervision, telling Tenasia: “We recently confirmed the state not recorded and recognized the severity of the problem. The registration process is currently in the acceleration phase.”
The revelation comes in the growing control of the agencies of a person managed by the celebrities themselves. Similar cases have recently emerged by involving Ock Joo-Hyun, Sung Si-Kyung, Song Ga-in and Kang Dong-Won. Both Ock Joo-Hyun and Sung Sung Sung agencies are currently under police investigations following formal complaints.
As part of the development law of the Culture and Popular Arts sector, the companies or unique owners above a specific scale must register if they are engaged in the management of artists or in the commercial entertainment operations. Failure to comply can involve up to two years in prison or fines up to 20 million krw (≈ $ 15,000 USD).
In response to the wave of unregistered cases, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism (MCST) has announced a period of grace until 31 December 2025, urged companies to respect voluntarily. After this period, unregistered agencies can face administrative investigations and criminal reporters.
With CL now in the spotlight, the controversy highlights the continuous challenges of legal compliance in the rapidly evolving entry sector of Korea, in particular when multiple artists choose to manage their careers through personal labels.
Sources: Daum
